Windows RT jailbreak allows you to download and run non-Windows Store desktop apps

Like seemingly every other new OS that’s left in the wild for awhile, Microsoft’s Windows RT has been jailbroken. But hold on before you start rejoicing about the prospects of running all your favorite desktop applications on a Surface, it isn’t quite there yet — at least for now.

Security researcher clrokr says he has found a way to run unsigned ARM-compiled desktop apps on Windows RT, something that Microsoft restricted to built-in apps for Office 2013 for RT. A setting that restricts these unsigned apps has been exploited to allow them, but must be done each time the operating system is booted up.

This means that we won’t be seeing any x86 apps running on Windows RT machines, as they need to be compatible with ARM to run in the first place. But the this brings the potential for homebrew ARM-based apps that can make Windows RT a little more appealing for some, albeit with a hit to battery life — there’s a reason why Microsoft wanted to restrict desktop apps on Windows RT.